The Specially Improved Automotive Replacement Voltage Regulator device is made with improved configuration of physical connections, of a durable design, and with better electrical transient and surge protection as compared to other currently utilized voltage regulators. Likewise, by using a “high side drive” to the rotor coil from the Specially Improved Automotive Replacement Voltage Regulator, corrosion is reduced. This anti-corrosion effect is because even in the event of a rotor short, the regulator will not permit current to the coil as in a “low-side” drive configuration.
A. Introduction of the Problem Addressed
The charging system in vehicles has always faced tough environmental and system conditions. Harsh corrosion from road water, salt, and mud; high vibration from rough roadways; and, high temperatures from under hood insulation increased electrical loads requiring higher outputs by the alternator, thus increasing the ambient temperatures the unit, including the regulator, is exposed to in operation. This new Specially Improved Automotive Replacement Voltage Regulator is related to devices and methods to improve the electrical connections, to use high side rotor current drives, to prevent failures related to poor connections and heat variations, and to eliminate failures from transient voltage surges (spikes) that effect electronic devices such as the voltage regulator. In past remanufacturing, fasteners were not reconnected and torqued and tightened properly. And, less than optimum materials for replacement were used. All these environmental and processing concerns effected the quality and durability of the regulators and ultimately resulted in shorter life and early failures to remanufactured alternators.
B. Prior Art
In recent years, some regulators have attempted to address these problems and shortfalls. Examples of prior replacement and original equipment (OE) regulators begin with U.S. Pat. No. 4,459,489 issued to Kirk, et al. (1984). This teaches a Generator load response control for regulating voltage in a system where a generator supplies the battery and electrical loads on a motor vehicle. This early system included a load response control for detecting whenever a substantial electrical load is applied to the generator tending to cause a drop in generator output voltage and when such a condition is detected field current is controlled to gradually increase field current from some value. The mechanical interface had limitations as described above for the remanufacturing and had limited transient protection. Another very specific regulator was issued to Edwards, et al as U.S. Pat. No. 4,733,159 (1988). It taught a Charge pump voltage regulator. Here the voltage regulator provides a pulse width modulated voltage regulator output to a drive circuit to provide field coil excitation for a voltage generator. This provided a charging signal for a battery. The voltage regulator output determined the on/off states of an FET power switching device coupled in series with a field coil across a maximum power source voltage potential corresponding to battery voltage. This device again offered little robustness or transient protection as taught by the new Specially Improved Automotive Replacement Voltage Regulator
A U.S. Pat. No. 4,470,003 issued to Mitchell (1984) taught a voltage regulator with temperature responsive circuitry for reducing alternator output current. Here a conventional voltage regulator was modified to reduce the power output from an associated alternator type generator by lowering the field current duty cycle when the ambient temperature at the voltage regulator exceeds a predetermined critical value, to thereby prevent damage to the alternator and regulator components until the ambient temperature is reduced. A temperature responsive means is connected across the field winding of the alternator and provides an override control function to the regulating section of the regulator, whenever the ambient temperature is too high. The override control causes the closed field current switch to be opened and to be held opened for a period of time that is directly related to the value of the sensed ambient temperature above the critical value. While this control helps with temperature, it has no stated features to help with electrical and mechanical improvements of the improved Lybbert device. Other examples of rack or storage devices include a U.S. Pat. No. 4,636,706 issued to Bowman, et al. (1995) which taught a Generator voltage regulating system. Here the improvement was a voltage regulator for regulating the output voltage of a diode-rectified alternating current generator that supplies the electrical loads on a motor vehicle including the storage battery. The voltage regulator has an up-down counter which is incremented when the output voltage of the generator is below a desired regulated value and is decremented when the output voltage of the generator is above the desired regulating value. The system was capable of sensing either battery voltage or rectifier output voltage and was controlled to automatically switch between battery voltage and rectifier voltage under certain operating conditions. The device did not feature the enhancements shown in the Specially Improved Automotive Replacement Voltage Regulator.
Method for improved battery state of charge was shown in U.S. Pat. No. 7,064,525 issued to Pachciarz, et al. (2006). This showed a method for improving vehicle battery state-of-charge (SOC) for initial vehicle customer delivery. The method is focused on vehicle assembly plant practices and ensuring that battery discharge is minimized or eliminated during the vehicle assembly process. The method includes determining the available maximum percentage of duty cycle voltage output from the vehicle alternator and determining a minimum idle boost speed necessary to provide minimum discharge or positive charge to the battery when the vehicle's accessories are in the “on” state during vehicle assembly. The method further includes programming the vehicle's controllers to force the maximum percentage of duty cycle voltage output available and the minimum idle speed necessary to provide minimum battery discharge or positive charge during the earliest part of the vehicle life. This does not teach the Lybbert improvements.
Another Lybbert device is an Improved Automotive All Silicon Voltage Regulator (I-ASVR) for use in the automotive components re-manufacturing and original equipment alternator product. It is application Ser. No. 11/823972 filed Jun. 28, 2007 and published as US Patent Application 20080054856 A1 on Mar. 6, 2008. Particularly this device improves the electrical connections, prevents failures related to poor connections and heat variations, and eliminates failures from transient voltage surges that effect electronic devices. The device is comprised essentially of four significant changes to a standard voltage regulator: an addition to the electronics of a transient suppression means for the loads; a connection for the battery connection (B+) through a fixed terminal that connects and is sandwiched under the battery stud of the rectifier bridge; the elimination of the soldered B+terminal that was susceptible to corrosion and failure; and, an improved grounding connection. This application does not teach the Lybbert improvements shown by the Specially Improved Automotive Replacement Voltage Regulator.
As far as known, there are no other Automotive Voltage Regulator devices at the present time which fully provide these improvements to the voltage regulator as the present Specially Improved Automotive Replacement Voltage Regulator. The configuration of the physical connections, of a durable design, and with better electrical transient and surge protection are significant improvements as compared to other currently utilized voltage regulators.